The Brookhaven leader., 1887-03-17
MUSICAL ANECDOTES.
a Budget for Readers Who are Fond of
Good Music and Good Jokes.

a Budget for Readers Who are Fond Of
Good Music and Good Jokes.
A contralto singer, having made an
engagement to sing at concert in
Lowell Mass, arrived at the City OF
Spindles in time for an afternoon re-
hearsal, and found upon reaching the
hall that her accompaniment was to be
supplied by the local band. That time
honored encore piece Comm Through
the Rye was first tried. From the
opening bar it was evident that some
thing was wrong. very wrong indeed,
though the accomplished leader of the
band did not discover it until the verse
was nearly finished. BY that time such
dreadful sounds proceeded from far
off corner of the stage, where a clario-
net-plaYer was seated. that it was plain
who the culprit was. The leader
raped, and said, when silence had
been secured: What's the matter over
there, Mr.. Dodge?" The old fellow
looked up in some surprise, and said,
What's the lady a-singin' ?' Comm
Through the Rye" remarked the con-
ductor. "Oh! is that SOP Waal, l was
a-plavin' Five O'clock in the Morn
in >"
The officers at a certain United
States navy yard are in the habit OF
giving receptions ON board the recciv-
ing-shp, and music is furnished by the
band, composed of enlisted men. 1t
sometimes happens that the men are
drafted here and there for duty, and
their places are then supplied by
musicians from the city. 1t happened
once that nearly all the musicians were
absent and the music was furnished by
a band who played under the regular
leader at the yard-a man who had
lots of .go" but very little real knowl-
edge Of music. They played for the
promenade on deck an overture Chat
of "Nabucco." think) in which there
ccur a number # syncopations. The
leader was beating time with great
flourish, and when the accent kept COM
ing, as he thought, on the wrong beat,
he grew excited, fourished his cornet
wildly, and counted loudly, IVAN.
two three; wan, two three"
but the men played on steadily,
and at the last he quit beating time, low
cred his cornet. and stood with his
hands on his hips till the end was
reached Then, turning about, he sur
veyed them with whitening stare, and
finally broke out, regardless of the
ladies, and in q tone in which scOrn
struggled with rage: 'Yez can all
go-to the divilr'
The choir Of a certain "orthodox"
church in New England once sang M IN
delssohn's 'I Waited for the Lord"
giving it with four voices only. as they
had no chorus. The start was good
one, and every thing was going with a
swing and boom. when suddenly the
bass failed to come in on a solo passage
when he was positively due The Or
ganist played for full bar, and then
turned and hissed: What the matter
with you?" Then, just as every body
was wondering why the bass was be-
hind time, the singer suddenly found his
voice, and burst out In really stem
torian tones, Il Waited for the
Lord" The people smiled. and after
the piece was finished the organist
sought the singer and said: Mr.
A, your excuse was not quite salts
factory"
A friend of mine, a musician and
wag. was approached after certain
concert by the indignant father of a
young lady who had on that occasion
made her first formal appearance. and
who had proved conclusively. by the
way, that she could not sing in tune.
whatever her other merits might be.
Say" exclaimed the angry parent,
Il just heard fellow in the gallery
say that Lizzie flatted; what the dick
ems is he talking about? You heard her
sing. and you know; did she sing flat?'
''Oh, no" replied my friend. gravely.
..she didn't sing fiat; the trouble was
that the piano sharped on her a little;
those tfianos will do it now and then;
I've noticed IL before. ."-Harper's
Magazine.